Chris Coté Talks KUT-U-UP's 2003 Album Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son.. Digital Re-issue (The Witzard Interview)
KUT-U-UP is an Indie/Punk Rock band hailing from San Diego, California. This four-piece has been together since sometime in the middle of 1996. If memory serves correctly, the band was formed on the basis of making loud music for party-goers. In the last decade, the band has taken it's signature sound and refined it, adding melody, intricate guitar work, rotating vocals, pounding drums, all while keeping the loose attitude and high-volume rawness KUT-U-UP has become known for. KUT-U-UP were quite notorious back in the early 2000's as hard-partying self-described "Indie rejects." They toured with blink-182, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World & Saves The Day as part of the infamous Pop Disaster Tour 2002 and were prominently featured within the companion DVD, Riding In Vans with Boys.
Chris Coté is the long-time bassist/vocalist for KUT-U-UP and has been since their inception and was once the editor of the now-defunct Transworld Surf/SKATEboarding Magazine. Coté currently runs his own weekly video series, The World's Greatets Action Sports Podcast: Monday M.A.S.S., with Todd Richards, as well as the Coté Media Group and Coté Records. KUT-U-UP have re-formed in recent years and Coté has actively been releasing music as Chris Coté (Solo.) We recently got a chance to speak with Chris Coté about newly digitally re-issued Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son.. (2003,) accidentally uploaded Bonus Tracks, the Coté Media Group/Coté Records, and what's next for KUT-U-UP.
I. Who's part of the current line-up or KUT-U-UP and how long has each member been in the band?
Chris Coté: In around 1998, it was myself, Brendan Raasch, and his brother Dylan. We started with two drummers and a guitar player, then, I started playing bass. After a few shows, Micah Mattson joined the band and Dylan left for art school. Brandon Parkhurst joined the band around 2002, Micah left the band to become a train conductor, we had Ronnue Dudek play a few shows, [and,] then, Matt Amador joined the band in around 2010. The current line-up with Matt Amador, Brendan Raasch, Brandon Parkhurst, and me is the longest running line-up of the band.
II. How long were you guys broken up and what initially made you decide to get back together again?
Coté: We never broke up; we just got lazy, partying too hard, all that stupid stuff. We never really even called it an official "break" or anything like that. Sometimes, we fade in the shadows for a few years, but we always crawl back out to record some songs or play some shows—hopefully, this year we’ll be doing more of both.
III. What made you guys decide to re-release Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son.. digitally?
Coté: We were so out of touch with the business [side] of our band that we didn't even know who owned our music. It took some wrangling, but we took it back and re-released it with some bonus tracks. We (I) also, accidently put the live version of "S&M Dens" on the digital release. So, we'll be putting the O.G. version out soon with some more rarities and a few new songs later this year.
IV. How does the 2022 digital re-release of Pulled Over... differ from the original version released back in 2003?
Coté: Other than the accidental live track, it's the same, but we added three unreleased tracks to the album.
V. What can you tell us about the concept behind the Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son.. album cover?
Coté: It was shot by legendary skate photographer Grant Brittain. I used to work with Grant at TransWorld [SKATEboarding/Surf Magazine] and asked him if he had any cool artistic photos we could look at to, potentially, use on our album cover. He gave me a sheet of slides and this image just jumped out at us. To me, the "sign" on the side of the road has many different meanings and the fact that it is yellow kind of says to me, "proceed with caution," but, of course, it's open to interpretation [by] the fans... what do you think it means?
VI. Why did you decide to include three Bonus Tracks on the digital re-release of Pulled Over... and what are the origins of these newly-included selections?
Coté: Just to give fans something, anything new to listen to while we figure out when and how to record more music. "C4AM95 [1997]" was, actually, one of our very first songs and it's a tribute to a band we love, called The F***ing Champs. "Make It Out Alive" is a fan favorite, so we found the instrumental and dropped that on there. The live version of "Worse Than Wolves" was, actually, recorded on my phone at band practice. Just liked how raw that version sounds.
VII. Are there any special memories or circumstances related to the making-of Pulled Over... that you can recall and would like to share with us?
Coté: None of us had too much recording experience back then, so the whole process of going to the studio and locking ourselves in for a few days was a dream come true. We definitely partied a lot making that album and there are moments, sounds, and even lyrics that we have no idea where they came from [or] what we're saying. PRO TIP: don't get too wasted while recording your album; you might not remember what you did.
VIII. How would you say KUT-U-UP's sound has changed and evolved since 2003's Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son.. and latest release, 2016 single Eyeline / The Numbers?
Coté: Honestly, it hasn't changed that much. I'd say, if anything, we've all learned more about song-writing and dynamics and how to sing better, but we're still little Indie Rock Punks at the end of the [day] and our limitations, sometimes, are, also, our greatest strength.
IX. Now that Pulled Over... has been effectively been re-issued on KUT-U-UP bassist and co-founder Chris Coté's own Coté Media Group, what else can fans expect from the entity/label?
Coté: Four or five new songs by the end of the year.
X. Do you have any immediate plans to record and release a proper full-length follow-up to Pulled Over... Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son..?
Coté: Probably, just do an EP and drop singles for a while. Time and money are a barrier we are trying to break, but I think with streaming being the main source of everyone's listening means, that singles do just fine and it's exciting every time a band you like drops new music. So, why not repeat that throughout the year?
XI. What's planned next for KUT-U-UP?
Coté: Playing shows, recording new music this summer, making some videos, having fun, connecting as a group, and making music that we like to play and listen to. We finally have some new merch. dropping, as well. We have two new shirts coming that were designed by John Herndon (drummer of Tortoise,) who is one of our favorite artists.
XII. In addition to KUT-U-UP, do any of you have any additional projects you might like to mention within this space?
Coté: Let's keep it KUT-U-UP>
- Chris Coté